Read Article before reading the post: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jul/26/india-sex-workers-female-empowerment
Indian Sex Workers Represent Women Empowerment?
That's a bit of a bold statement, don't you think?
Sure, some women may think so but tying 'having freedom to do what you want' and 'being empowered' through sex work seems like a bit of a push to me.
The tag line of the article says "society should start treating women who work in the industry with respect instead of disgust." Clearly the society that they are talking about is the society where they live in that thinks it's OK to have a district dedicated to sex work and viewing these women as nothing but objects - that's the main problem to tackle - educating those people not to 'treat prostitutes with respect' but to 'treat WOMEN with respect.'
Opposite of prostitution = marriage? and since marriage doesn't give women freedom, prostitution is the one that does? What about all the other possible means of obtaining women's freedom and power? Is marriage really the other option of not being a prostitute?
The main problem of prostitution and sex work is not the issue of freedom from marriage and feeling empowered through not being tied to a husband. The problem is that these women feel like the only escape route from not being respected from their husbands is to be a prostitute. AND that it limits women from seeing other opportunities and giving them other options to really empower them. For example, education.
This mindset is what cause this long chains of sexual workers through generations and generations. As the documentary 'Half the Sky' points out, it desensitizes the women and makes them think that this is the only route/it is perfectly fine for them to make their own daughters work in the industry, giving the young girls no other choice but to become what their mother, grandmother and aunts have become.
"I choose to work as a prostitute because it gives me more power than being married, so treat me with respect?" That to me sounds like a very very contagious/dangerous way of thinking (and what a young stripper would say - just sayin').
















